For Libraries Week, we are putting the spotlight on the history of a remarkable university library. Leuven University’s library has had a past as rich as it has been turbulent, peppered with religious conflicts, political discord, and wartime catastrophe.

How do we know what Europe’s first printed book was? Until the 18th century this question was open to speculation.15th-century printed books usually have no title page and do not always give the printer’s name.

Did you know that the earliest known list of recommended and banned books dates from about 496? It was issued by Pope Gelasius I. Printed lists of banned books existed since the beginning of the escalating religious conflicts of the 1520s. They were published in the Dutch Catholic regions (1529), in Venice (1543), and in […]

If you’re reading this, I’m pretty sure you know your ABCs. But learning to read isn’t all there is to the alphabet. An ABC can teach you a whole lot more… In Europeana, we have traditional alphabets showing you how to form letters in Gothic style or through embroidery. Then other practical ones, like an […]

The memory of the First World War, its events and consequences, its victims and victors, remains very much alive today. It has become part of the individual and collective memory of Europe and of countries across the world – the stories of soldiers and their families continue to be told and published from generation to […]

The winners of the 2012 Nobel prizes are being announced this week. So each day, we’re looking to see what Nobel-related content we have in Europeana. Today, we congratulate Mo Yan on winning the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. Follow @NobelPrize_org on Twitter for the latest info! However, if you’re wondering who the first winner of the […]

Emily Brontë, author of classic novel Wuthering Heights was born on this day in 1818. Portrait of Emily Brontë by her brother, Branwell. Public Domain image. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings. Sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne were all writers. Their first volume of poems was published under the pseudonyms Currer […]

210 years ago this week (on July 24th 1802 to be exact), Alexandre Dumas, the writer of classic adventure novels The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers was born. Dumas was the grandson of a French nobleman and a Haitian slave, and was born into poverty. Les Mousquetaires, drame d’Alexandre Dumas et Auguste […]

Today is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated in several countries, regions and cities of which he is the patron saint, including: England, Catalonia, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Moscow, Valencia, Majorca, Aragon, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and more. The 23rd of April is traditionally accepted as the date of Saint George’s death in AD 303. In Catalonia, […]

Love… Such a grand word in so few letters. This profound emotion has played an important role in shaping our cultural and scientific heritage. It has influenced everyone from the greatest conquerors to common men, from visionary artists to ingenious scientists. Discover beautiful love stories to share with your Valentine! Romeo and Juliet The story […]

Today we are celebrating the 184th birthday of Jules Verne, one of the founding fathers of science fiction and the second most translated author in the world after Agatha Christie. Born in the harbour city of Nantes, France, the young Jules Verne spent a great amount of time watching the ships navigate the Loire River. […]

Today we are celebrating Charles Dickens‘ 200th birthday. Charles Dickens, the author of some of the most iconic novels and characters in English literature, was born at Landport, Portsea, on 7 February 1812. There he spent perhaps the happiest time of his life. In 1822, the family moved to London due to financial difficulties, which […]

One hundred years ago, on 17 January 1912, the Terra Nova Expedition, officially known as the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole. Unfortunately, the crew made it only to discover they were beaten by their Norwegian rival, Roald Amundsen, by 34 days and to meet their desolate […]

Charles Perrault is a name that is familiar to the young and old all over the world. Who doesn’t know his Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty? Perrault was born on 12 January 1628 to a wealthy Parisian family. After studying law, he pursued a career in government service. When the Académie des […]

Contributed by our Prod­uct Devel­oper David Haskiya: I’ve recently discovered a collection in Europeana that quickly has become one of my favourites: the digitised library of the Portuguese author Fernando Pessoa. Checking out his library gives me that same feeling I get when I visit someone’s house or apartment and study their bookshelves in an attempt […]

On this blog, we share stories from Europeana, providing access to millions of digitised cultural heritage items – books, artworks, recordings and more, written by cultural heritage professionals from across Europe.

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